I was in the middle of a conversation with my brother and I realized that I could sense a sort of polite restraint in our words. It was as if we both knew the effort required to maintain the conversation in its present, somewhat lighthearted state, and preferred that to the more serious avenue down which it could have gone.

Social interactions seem to force us not only to act according to a certain pattern, but to abstain from requiring too much of another person. There are correct times to ask hard questions, just as there are correct times to make a joke out of something somewhat serious.

The important thing, I think, is to make sure that you are looking into that person’s eyes. Even if you’re both lying half-asleep at night on opposite sides of the living room talking about the past and you can’t see past the coffee table, you can still see their eyes if you’re looking.

Unfortunately, I still have homework for now. My eyes will be distracted for a few hours yet.